Vehicles for Sale Nearby

Dodge Ram Gasoline Engine Questions

Comments

i have a 99 ram 1500 5.2 and the problem with it is its misfiring ,slightly reeving up and dropping below normal idle rpms by its self,and will die occasionally in idle and when driving it. it will clear up after driving for a lil bit or sometimes it take a while to clear up and start running perfect but seems when it sets for a while it starts doing this.i pulled the codes and it was saying faulty cam sensor and o2 wire was shorting. fixed the 02 wire and new cam sensor. still was running the same and the cam sensor was still showing so we tried the crank sensor still the same. also was told that it could be water in the gas havent treated it yet but what do u think any sugestions what could be making it do this ?

Although your symptoms could indicate a vacuum leak, the Cam Sensor code is a little disturbing since you've already replaced. Of course, the new sensor could be bad, but it might be indicating a timing chain problem.

I've checked the vacume lines as best as i can no apparent cuts burns or dry rotting of any sort blew smoke in it and didn't see any come out. its very possible could be the timing chain stretched over the years but i pray not but at that point ill take it to the shop and pay the money for the pros to mess with it. thanks

I own a 2001 Dodge Ram 1500 pickup, 5.2L. Every start when the engine is cold will produce what sounds like a stuck lifter knocking. It gets quieter once I put it in gear and accelerate. After it warms up, a slight ticking remains. Oil pressure is good according to dash gauge. I've tried Sea-Foam added to the oil. Next oil change I added Lucas oil treatment. Nothing seems to have helped. Engine has 105,000 miles, and runs strong otherwise. Any thoughts?

I have a 2001 Dodge w/ 5.9 Have similar problem as Bosch plugs. Low power and poor gas mileage. I replaced Bosch with NGK w/ no better results. Is this an issue of needing factory Champion plugs as well? 141K no oil burn.Pipeline1

In general spark plugs have a relatively minor impact to performance and fuel mileage in a properly tuned and running engine. The spark plugs sole purpose is to ignite the fuel charge under pressure. Therefore, if the plug fires it really doesn't matter what the configuration is or who's name is on it.

A spark plug that does not fire will produce a noticeable effect, either as a skip or induction system flame back, or both. If a plug intermittently fails to fire on one high RPM pulse you may not notice it, and this could manifest itself as a drop in fuel mileage or performance.

However, worn plugs can affect performance and fuel consumption. As the gap increases or the plug tip edges start to erode, the timing will be retarded slightly due to the fact that it takes a higher voltage build up in the coil in order to produce a spark of enough potential to jump the gap. This is referred to as the coil rise time. When the spark does occur it happens a few milliseconds later than it should and effective retards the spark in that cylinder.

In your case, I'm not sure how you reached the conclusion that spark plugs have affected the engine performance. If you feel there's a noticeable difference in performance between spark plug types, I would suspect that the ignition coil is saturating (coming to its maximum spark potential) before it can produce an actual spark. Bosch plugs, like some others, regardless of the number of electrodes, typically have much wider gaps than the factory specified Champion versions.

If the engine is just suffering from poor performance and higher fuel consumption absence of any difference in spark plug type, I would suspect something else first. Because of the vintage, engine, and mileage of your Ram, my first suspect would be a partially clogged catalytic converter.

Great reply! I always figured that with modern hi voltage ignitions, the plugs wouldn't need to be replaced for 100K miles or so. On a HEMI, $300 to change the plugs would need an improved performance justification, IMO. Would the slightly retarded timing with worn plugs allow the use of 87 octane instead of 89 in a HEMI?

Maybe on an engine from twenty years ago, but I' suspecting that it may not have any effect on newer engines. Nowadays the engine computers vary the timing based on various sensor inputs. I'm not completely sure, but I believe the powertrain control module (PCM) on your truck can determine the optimum time to fire the spark plug by reading the exhaust gas and fuel inlet temperatures. So it may compensate for worn plugs. And even if it doesn't, the new coil-on-plug systems are usually very, very strong coils with the ability to supply a lot more peak voltage with shorter rise times than older systems, so they'll jump a much larger gap.

On older Hemis without MDS, or before they could check for detonation (knock sensor) I'm thinking the PCMs didn't quite have that level of sophistication.

The amount of timing retardation from worn plugs is dependent on how much gap erosion and the strenght of the ignition coil. I remember once installing new plugs in a Ford 390 motor that already had a slight tendency to ping after it came to full operating temperature, so it was probably borderline then. After installing the new plugs the thing pinged so darn bad you would've thought some poured a dozen marbles down the intake. I reset the timing and curring the detonation, and my memory tells me I moved it at least four or five degrees back.

Can't wait for the fun time when I have to change the plugs on my new Hemi.

I had a late 70s car with the older hi voltage ignition. After 100K miles, pulled the OEM plugs and they had a gap of nearly .125 - and the thing still ran great, new plugs didn't seem to affect mileage or performance. That's why I've been skeptical with the 30K mile plug change recommendation on HEMI....Richard

i juse bought a 99 dodge ram 1500 5.9 360well the guy i bought it from told me that he only put 93 octane gas in it and i put 87will that be ok also not to shure if it did this before i put 87 oct.after at speed if i hit the gas a bit and it hist 2000-3000 rpmi hear god awful noise it is a ratteling an knocking noise does any one no what this is caused by is it caused buy the low octane gas PLEASE HELP

Perform a compression test. I found that the 2 center cylinder exhaust valve seats or stem guides where off allowing valve not seat all the time. This caused me a rough idle and low power at times and I chased this problem for a year. Replaced the heads and vehicle ran like new. :P

I have a 98 Dodge Ram 1500, 5.9 engine. Recently, it started missing when in overdrive and then worse if pulling a trailer. Check Engine came on, indicated miss in cylinder 6. Replaced all plug wires, spark plugs, still had problem. The miss got worse, would only hit on 7 cylinders when started, then would pick up the 8th cylinder. No smoking. Replaced fuel injector for number 6 cylinder, a little better, but still the slight miss when it goes into overdrive. Any ideas?

so now, I'm back to it missing when I start it up, doesn't matter if it sits for an hour or for 5 minutes.....it will pick up the 8th cylinder quickly, but, this is a problem.....what do I look at now?

I Have a 97 dodge ram 1500. It runs fine for the first 15 to 20 minutes, then The O/D of light comes on and it won't go into overdrive and starts shifting hard. I press the O/D button but it wont shut off. when I get out i smell a strong odor of transmision fluid, but when i look underneath and in the engine compartment there is no noticeable fluid. Fluid levels seem to be ok

when i got out after the transmission overheated i felt the transmission cooling lines going to and from the radiators, they were cold. So i pulled them all apart and blew them out with air. it pushed through hard at first the i think i loosened some grit up and they flowed freely. i put everything back together and same thing happened. the section where it enters the main radiator was obstructed again. i put air to it and got it freed up, went for a drive again and same thing. is there a thermostat or check valve in there that may ber malfunctioning?

Hi My 2004 dodge 1500 4dr quad cab Laramie with the 5.7 hemi with 82000 miles broke. Have changed oil every 3000 miles. Now the engine won't idle. Took it to my local mechanic who found no compression on one of the cyclinders. He believes it is a broken valve spring. He has not gone any further as I am trying to contact the dealer to see if they will do anything to help. As usual it is out of warranty. I have been told this was not uncommon broken valve springs and broken rods breaking through the block, on the 2003-2004 hemi engines. Has anyone had a similiar problem.

My brother has a dodge 3500 ram 2wd dually with 78,000 miles and has beenDriving it for months the issue of the ECU has a corrupt software which cause his rev limiter to be At 4500 RPM and 2nd gear down shift for passing at 4800 RPM. He has been Running it against the rev limiter. I had him send me his ECU which I sent to getReprogrammed at B&G. I returned it to him, &#147; he said his truck runs better then new.Two weaks later I get a call from him and said that his engine has a dead cylinder.He pull the spark plugs from 3 different cylinders and found the top of all 3 pistionsLooked all beat up bad. The mechanic told him that it could be from bad fuel or water in the fuel. I not buying this at all. My question is could this be from runningthe engine against the rev limiter for months, then adding the up graded ECU?? I am thinking broken exhaust valves which cause compression loss.But I am still not sure what is the cause. What do you think??????

Im not sure what ideas you have gotten but I had a 99 that did this for years till it finnally died changed everything, Then found out their is a internal relay in the computer that was bad , replaced the computer been good since, hope this helps

I have a 1997 Dodge Ram 2500 4x4 with a V10 engine. My truck's body was well taken care of but it's engine wasn't. Very shortly after I bought the truck at 218,433. miles my 97 V10 threw a rod on #1 cylender down through the oil pan. Long story short, I bought another Dodge V10 with certified 144,000. out of a 1995 3500, and put it in my truck using my old (from my 97 V10) exhaust manifolds, my old Cam, and Crankshaft sensors, and my old coil pack along with my old upper intake manifold. My problem is now I have no spark.

I have good fuel pressure and engine turns over well but it will not start. There were a few slight differences in the 95 engine vs. my 97. On the lower intake manifold of the 95 engine it has an EGR which had to be blocked off because my old engine's lower intake doesn't have one. Also, the Cam and Crankshaft sensors were a little different on the 95 as far as their plugs to the engine harness which is why we used my old ones out of my original engine. All of my trucks engine electrical system worked. Even after it threw the rod I had to manually (turn the key off-I was at idle in drive) shut the engine down.

I have verified with the parts store that the Crankshafts in the two engines are the same having the same part number. However this isn't the case with the camshaft sprocket which does have a different part number on the 95, than on my original 97 engine. I've spent every dime I have on this engine and new oil, etc., to get it put in and my truck running again as it's my only transportation. Can anybody help? Is there that much of a difference between a 1995 Dodge V10 and a 97 that it won't work in a 1997 model truck?

Any help and suggestions will be very much appreciated.I thank you in advance.

I just purchased a 99 ram1500 4x4 with 5.9 and at about 50mph it wil not excelerate without missing/chugging. It also idles a bit rough at times (not during test drive of course). Had mechanic check out before I bought it and he didnt find problem.
Anyway, ive seen numerous possibilities but would like advice or opinion on what is most likely problem and in what order I should try the fixes. Thanks!